An ice maker IM is designed to make ice I, and such an ice maker IM is provided in a water purifier, a refrigerator, or the like.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the ice maker IM includes an evaporator E in which a cold refrigerant or a hot refrigerant flows in a refrigerating cycle (not shown). Also, one or more dipping members D are connected to the evaporator E, and a cold refrigerant or a hot refrigerant may flow in the dipping members D. A tray member T is also provided in the ice maker IM. Water is maintained in the tray member T, and the plurality of dipping members D are immersed in water in the tray member T. Accordingly, with the one or more dipping members D immersed in the tray member T, when a cold refrigerant flows in the dipping members D, ice I is formed on the dipping members D. After the ice I is formed on the dipping members D, when a hot refrigerant flows in the dipping members D, the ice I formed on the dipping members D is separated from the dipping members D. Namely, the ice I is released.
Meanwhile, in order for the ice maker IM to make ice I having an intended size, the size of the ice I may be detected (or determined) and when the formation of ice has reached an intended level, the ice I may be released. In this case, in order to detect whether or not the formation of the ice I has reached the intended level, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a gyration member C, provided to gyrate in a tray member T, and a sensor S, associated with the gyration member C, may be used.
As shown in FIG. 1, the gyration member C may include a contact member Ca and an electromagnetic wave reflective member Cb, and the sensor S may include an electromagnetic wave transmission member S1 and an electromagnetic wave reception member S2. When the formation of ice I has not reached the intended level, electromagnetic waves transmitted from the electromagnetic wave transmission member S1, according to the gyration of the gyration member C, may be reflected by the electromagnetic wave reflective member Cb of the gyration member C and received by the electromagnetic wave reception member S2.
Meanwhile, when the formation of ice has reached the intended level, the contact member Ca of the gyration member C is brought into contact with the ice I, so the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the electromagnetic wave transmission member S1 are not received by the electromagnetic wave reception member S2 according to the gyration of the gyration member C. Then, when it is determined that the formation of the ice I has reached the intended level, the ice I is released.
In the ice making method, if a foreign object (i.e., debris), or the like, is attached to the sensor S, even if the formation of ice I has already reached the intended level, electromagnetic waves transmitted by the electromagnetic wave transmission member S1 may still be received by the electromagnetic wave reception member S2 so it may be continuously determined that the formation of ice I has not reached the intended level. Also, if a foreign object, or the like, is caught by the gyration member C, although the formation of ice I has not reached the intended level, electromagnetic waves transmitted by the electromagnetic wave transmission member S1 may not be received by the electromagnetic wave reception member S2 so it may be detected (or determined) that the formation of ice I has reached the intended level.
Namely, a malfunction of the ice (I) size detection unit, such as the gyration member C, the sensor S, or the like, may lead to a failure in making ice I having the intended size.
Meanwhile, in the above description, the dipping type ice maker in which a refrigerant flows and which includes the dipping members D immersed in water in the tray member D is taken as an example, but the same problem may arise in any other types of ice makers. For example, a water flow type ice maker in which water is jetted to an ice making pin in which a refrigerant flows to form ice on the ice making pin, or an injection type (or jet type) ice maker in which water is jetted to ice making plate provided an evaporator with a refrigerant flowing therein and including one or more cells so as to make ice in the one or more cells may have the same problem.